The leather on our wheel rims is made of real leather. Cow. Muuuuuhhhh.
No plastic.
And the shape of this rim is made in reference to the F1 rims as used in the 80's. It is an exact replica. But shape and ergonomy is always a matter of taste anyway.
Real Leather? Sorry, but...
This wheel has some cow hide in it, but it definitely feels like bonded leather or PU leather. It So a 'Genuine Leather' it is, but not 'Real Leather'. I could have it confirmed by a local company that repairs car interiours?
I own a leather wheel and my dad owns a Alfa Romeo 156 with a complete Momo leather interiour. So it's not like I don't know one leather from the other.
That said though, I should've known better myself as to not expect too much for 99 euro. So allow myself to call myself a real idiot for that.
Fanatec is definitely not to blame here. They sold as advertised!
Yup, the Lotus 98T feels absolutely great with this wheel. Just wish the games that have them would have their FFB in order right now.
The steering wheel is sturdy as hell though, and won't flex even a tiny bit. Even if I go all ape-**** on it to try and abuse it. Which can't be said about certain ebay wheels that use extremely soft metals.
Plus I have to say, after using it for a day I got used to the different feel from the quite different hand position.
It definitely feels different from a Formula rim in my opinion, and I would encourage people who drive old F1 cars to get a rim like this from Fanatec or otherwise... depending on budget. The more money... the better quality the wrap will be of course. You get what you pay for after all.
Still would love the wheel to have a bit bigger tubing to have better grip, but if this is how it is in the Lotus 98T and similar cars of the era than I'll just have to get used to it. Or maybe try to add an extra layer of leather that I prefer around it myself. 💡 Maybe I will get some new skills in the process
If you guys want genuine, high quality leather, I think you are going to have to shell out more than $100.
True. I shelled out 60 euro for a Shell Cordovan leather strap for my Swiss watch. Which is about the highest grade leather you can get. And instead of coming from a cow, it's from the ass of a horse.
It's often used in shoemaking for expensive shoes, and usually the scraps are used to make things like watch straps. It's too expensive to just throw away.
In any case, I should've known better. I'm sure a whole different kind of leather was used for the Porsche 918 wheel than for this wheel. It certainly looks like it's a better quality leather used in pictures. It's even stitched and not glued. Which says something about how well the material can be worked on/with, and it being durable enough to do so.
